SoT IIb: open mind, insert belief

Undertoad · 09-27-2007, 08:38 PM

There's a source of error in all of us that was left out of the original post... where we cause our own errors. Let's say we accept a premise as true rather early in life, when we are forming the firmest of the things we accept as true. Fire is hot kinda stuff.

This American Life had a piece one day, a few years back, of David Paladino, a half white half black man who was raised to believe he was white. His mother didn't know what the child would be until he was born; and then, instantly, it became easier to say that she had a line of dark-skinned Italians in her family. The mom, the boy, the entire rest of the family repeated this explanation over and over and over again, despite his obvious physical characteristics, and the fact that he'd be asked about it by every new person who encountered him.

At age 29, he suddenly had this burning feeling that something didn't make sense, and when he confronted his mother, she broke down and told him the truth.

At 29! He lived the first part of his life with an hidden identity that he, himself, didn't know and refused to confront.

And he learned that his mother had put it all away, in the deep recesses of her mind, and hadn't even confronted the question herself until the boy got to high school.

Couldn't possibly be true for you? But it probably is: like the mom for all those years, some of the things that you believe to be true, you have actually shoved deep into your own mind. There may be things that you have convinced yourself of, for your own convenience. It may not be as serious as who your baby's father is. But then, it may be more serious; like the some of most basic concepts that you accept in your heart.

And like the son, there are certainly things that you have HAD shoved deep into your own mind. Maybe unwillingly, like Mr. Paladino; maybe completely willingly, with premises and biases that you helped yourself establish. It may not be as serious as what your race is... or it may strike at the very meaning of life.

09-27-2007, 08:38 PM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	SoT IIb: open mind, insert belief There's a source of error in all of us that was left out of the original post... where we cause our own errors. Let's say we accept a premise as true rather early in life, when we are forming the firmest of the things we accept as true. Fire is hot kinda stuff. This American Life had a piece one day, a few years back, of David Paladino, a half white half black man who was raised to believe he was white. His mother didn't know what the child would be until he was born; and then, instantly, it became easier to say that she had a line of dark-skinned Italians in her family. The mom, the boy, the entire rest of the family repeated this explanation over and over and over again, despite his obvious physical characteristics, and the fact that he'd be asked about it by every new person who encountered him. At age 29, he suddenly had this burning feeling that something didn't make sense, and when he confronted his mother, she broke down and told him the truth. At 29! He lived the first part of his life with an hidden identity that he, himself, didn't know and refused to confront. And he learned that his mother had put it all away, in the deep recesses of her mind, and hadn't even confronted the question herself until the boy got to high school. Couldn't possibly be true for you? But it probably is: like the mom for all those years, some of the things that you believe to be true, you have actually shoved deep into your own mind. There may be things that you have convinced yourself of, for your own convenience. It may not be as serious as who your baby's father is. But then, it may be more serious; like the some of most basic concepts that you accept in your heart. And like the son, there are certainly things that you have HAD shoved deep into your own mind. Maybe unwillingly, like Mr. Paladino; maybe completely willingly, with premises and biases that you helped yourself establish. It may not be as serious as what your race is... or it may strike at the very meaning of life.

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